


Covered in Cake

by allmycomfortcharactersaredead



Series: Short Fics Inspired By Headcannons [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Established James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Established Relationship, Fluff, Hogwarts Seventh Year, James Potter Birthday, James is whipped, Just Cute Couple Things, Marauders, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Mentioned Sirius Black, jily
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-15
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-23 04:53:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30050196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allmycomfortcharactersaredead/pseuds/allmycomfortcharactersaredead
Summary: James Potter cannot believe that Lily doesn't remember his birthday.
Relationships: James Potter/Lily Evans Potter
Series: Short Fics Inspired By Headcannons [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2210637
Kudos: 12





	Covered in Cake

James Potter had been a sucker for Lily Evans for as long as anyone could remember. No one in the entirety of Hogwarts, not even James himself, could quite pinpoint exactly when it had happened. Some said it was in their first year, when she knocked him down a flight of stairs and sent him to the Hospital Wing--legend had it that his first words after waking from his concussion were “She touched me!”, or at least that’s what Sirius said. Others said it was the nickname ‘immature arrogant toerag’ that had done it--of course Sirius had said that this meant James had a thing for degradation, and James had deflected by calling him out for kink shaming. James, of course, insisted that it was just Lily herself that had done it, and once he realized that she was the most beautiful maiden in all the land, there was no going back.

Either way, it had certainly been a very long and twisted road for James to get where he was now; in a very new actual relationship with the one and only love of his life. He still wondered sometimes whether she still hated him, even with her insistence that he’d matured very nicely and that she really did like him now. And sometimes when he saw her, he was hit with overflowing love and admiration all over again as if for the first time.

James walked into the Common Room--well, he strutted, really. He had his head held high, his shoulders back, a shit-eating grin on his face (James Potter might have been a bit self absorbed, but at least he was also self aware). He was eighteen today, his last birthday at Hogwarts and his first birthday with Lily as his girlfriend, and he was going to make sure everyone knew it. 

And then there she was. Sitting on one of the plush red couches in the Common Room, her legs tucked beneath her and her head bent over a book in her lap. Her auburn hair was spilling out of a messy bun at the nape of her neck and her green eyes reflected the light from the fireplace almost mystically. James stopped short for a moment, unable to tear his eyes off the gorgeous girl in front of him. What he’d done to deserve this was beyond him. 

Regaining his breath, he crept up behind the couch, tucking his chin over the back so that he was peering over her. Smiling, he opened his mouth to speak--

“Hello, Potter.”

Lily didn’t even look up at him, but her lips curved into a near-smile and he couldn’t find it in him to be mad that she’d stolen his chance to scare her. He rested his arms across the top of the couch and plucked the book from her hands. 

“Hello,  _ Evans _ .” Lily grabbed for the book but he held it out of her reach, smirking, until she flopped back against the cushions in defeat, pouting. James hopped over the back of the couch and took a seat next to her, and she curled into his side in a way that felt almost instinctive, and there was no way for James’s smile to possibly get any larger.

“You know what today is?” he asked, absentmindedly playing with her fingers.

“No,” said Lily, and his head shot up in surprise. “Why?” 

She had to be joking. James Potter Birthdays had been a mandatory holiday in Gryffindor Tower since they were eleven. “Stop playing, you do too!”

“No, I don’t.”

She looked so convincing, so confused, that James was getting concerned. This had to be a prank of some kind. Except...Lily had never been one for pranks, especially not his…

“Of course you do,” James insisted, eyebrows scrunched in confusion, but Lily just looked at him, big green eyes of innocence staring practically into his soul.

“Sorry James, I don’t,” she admitted, and wow, she really had no idea?

“Oh,” James sighed, all of the confidence and excitement drained out of him. “Never mind then.” He rose from the couch, making to walk away with none of his earlier swagger, but he only made it a few steps.

“Hey James!” Lily called, and as disappointed as he was, he still stopped, because he always would for her. He turned on his heel, only to be hit directly in the face with...something gooey...cake? He licked his lips to be sure. Yes, it was cake.

He took off his glasses in bewilderment and spelled them clean, finally able to look at Lily, who was grinning up at him.

“Happy birthday, nerd.”

James felt his face split into the biggest grin known to humankind as he narrowed his eyes at his girlfriend, who at least had the sense to look worried, even through her own grin. 

“Ooohhhh, you’re gonna pay for that!” he exclaimed, pouncing for her.

Lily shrieked, jumping up from the couch and running in the other direction, and he chased after her, cake still clinging to his face. He had his arms out in front of him so that it was like he was a cake zombie, and Lily was scampering away, red hair streaking out behind her from where it had fallen out of its bun. People in the common room were laughing at their antics as they flew by, and out of the corner of his eye James could see Sirius and Remus in the doorway to the boys’ staircase, Sirius leaning on Remus for support as they both cackled with laughter. 

He finally caught up to her, grabbing her around the middle so that she flailed in his arms, laughing. He set her down so that she could face him, never letting go of her shoulders so that she couldn’t run away. Before she had any time to react, James grabbed Lily by the sides of her face, bringing her in for a big, sloppy, cake-filled kiss. He could hear wolf-whistling in the background and a “YEAH, GET IT MATE!” from Sirius before he pulled away.

“There,” he said, smiling down at her. “Now we’re both covered in cake.”

And she just grinned at him, frosting smeared across her mouth and nose, and James was hit with so much love for her all over again, because he would always be a sucker for Lily Evans.


End file.
